A few days after TMP, I had the opportunity to do an HPDE day at my home track, Watkins Glen, with the GVC Chapter of the BMWCCA. This was a one day event open only to Advanced/Solo participants, so traffic was very light, and the folks out there were fast and smart. The car performed really well at TMP so I didn't need to do anything other than adjust tire pressure for the trip out there. Didn't even unhook the trailer
Bringing my own fuel to the event was great, it was really nice being able to relax during the lunch hour and not worry about heading into town to refuel. I ran the tank down to about 1/4 and would just keep it around 3/8 by refilling periodically. This car doesn't seem to suffer from fuel starvation, so I figured I wouldn't put unnecessary weight in it.
Ghost town in the garage
Despite the weather being in the mid 70s all week, it only reached a high of 50F on the day of the event. It was cold and very windy which seemed great for power production in the morning but made for an uncomfortable time when not in the car/on track. The tires and brakes didn't seem to mind the cold and by noon the sun was peeking out a bit. Oil temp never went over 220-230ish no matter how long I stayed out or how hard I beat on it.
I continued to play with tire pressures trying to sneak up on the arrow on the sidewall but went a bit low, so I ended up settling at 34psi hot which was a happy medium. These are 2017 date code tires so they're well past their useful life - just wanted to get the last bit out of them. Overall I liked the 595-RSRRs, they wore very well and despite being loud on the street were predictable in the dry. Never tried them in the rain.
As I refamiliarized myself with the track I realized I was leaving a lot of time on the table by overbraking, especially on the front and back straights. I would find myself braking firmly but overslowing, then releasing the brakes slowly (but not fully) as I realized I could have gone faster. Each session I got more comfortable braking later and also much more firmly - definitely engaging ABS hard, and not lingering on the brakes during turn in as much. Lap times came way down, but the front brakes were starting to struggle as a result...
The brakes would be great at first (hard bite initially) but after 4-5 laps definitely felt softer and more inconsistent in deceleration rate despite a firm pedal and consistent pressure applied by me.
Front:
Rear:
Front rotors starting to form grooves and cracking around the cross drilled holes. The rotors ended up looking way worse by the end of the event.
The fronts were just puking brake dust powder (not the residue that forms a coating on wheels, but actual black metallic powder) and a quick inspection showed that I was down to about 3/16" material. I pulled the pads just to get a better idea of their condition and found that the friction material was separating from the backing plate.
While pulling one of the front wheels off, I also found this...
Wouldn't come out no matter how hard I yanked with pliers, my guess is one of the steel belts inside broke after hundreds of track miles and slamming over curbing. Between this and the pads, I took it as a sign to call it a day, so I slapped the OEM pads back in and installed the 220Ms for the ride back home.
Despite the day being cut a bit short I was overall happy with my progression. Last year on the same tires and brakes, in 80F weather, I got myself down to a 2:21 and was ecstatic about it. Now with more worn tires and way more seat time, PR was a 2:15.504
Fun fact - Once I got home and pulled everything apart to put the street pads back in and assess rotor damage, I found that the OEM rotors and pads are exactly that....OEM. As in, original to the car from September 2008. I'd say I got my money's worth. I need to remind myself to take a pic of the front rotors in their current state...
Plan going forward:
New OEM rotors and DTC-60 pads through FCP lifetime program
More fresh RBF660
Porsche GT3 brake cooling scoops on the control arms up front
Bimmerworld stainless lines 6x
Mount new 595 RS-RR's that are sitting in my shed